Mail-bag deliverer and receiver.



D. W. M lLLsA-PSL MAIL BAG DELIVEEER AND RECEIVER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1910.

1 ,034,639. Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

' s sHEnTs-sHEBT-1.

35 A v 2? 2p Q l 3 4 20 f4 P( X Y Je 2] J9 fx K X 20,

Y fh 36 n 31 28, Ks 3,9 38 2 9 544mm A Wma/.wam i039 @6% 'z l l y `41 L@@uw 47mm tr commun mrngux co.. wAsmNuToN. n.

D. W. MILLSAPS. MAIL BAG DELIVERER AND RECEIVER. APPLIGATIQN EILED JULY8, 1910.

1,084,639. y Patented Aug. 6, 1912,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBJA FLANDGRAPH CD., WASHING'I'-N. D. C.

D. W. MILLSAPS. MAIL BAG DELIVERER AND RECEIVER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY B, 1910.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPM C0., WASHINGTON, D. C.

Cil

DANIEL w. MILLSAPs, or MARION, SouTH cHEoLINA, AssIeNoE, EY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, To THE MILLSAES MAIL EXCHANGE COMPANY, or MARION, SOUTHcAEo- LINA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MAIL-BAG- DELIVERER AND RECEIVER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

Application filed July 8, 1910. Serial No. 571,082.

.l'o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. MILLSAPS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marion, in the county of Marion and State of South Carolina,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag-Deliverers and Receivers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for receiving mail bags and deliveringmail bags from a moving'train.

It has been my object to produce a device which when set in operativeposition will automatically receive and deliver mail bags with absolutecertainty, and with the least possible injury to the bags themselves.

It has also been my purpose to make the device so simple in constructionthat itcan be easily andcheaply made and can be easily operated. l

My device makes use of the principle of an inclined chute for receivingthe mail, as in the case of my prior Patent No. 914,442, granted March9, 1909, but in the present case I have departed in many respects fromthe construction disclosed in that patent.

The novel features of my invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a port-ion ofa car showing a plan view of my mechanism in operative position; Fig. 2is a cross section through my device when in operative position; Fig. 3is a side elevation of the receiving and delivering mechanism along theside of the track; Fig. 4 is an end elevation partly in section of theconstruction shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the maildelivering arms: Fig. 7 is a detailed view 'of the ends of thesupporting arms for the mail chutes; Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectionsimilar to Fig. 1, showing the modified construction; Fig. 9 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 2, showing this modification; and Fig. 10 is a detailview of my preferred form of mail delivering arm.

In practical operation mail bags arefsin multaneously received on anddelivered from a train, and therefore it is necessary to have on the carmeans for catching and re-` ceiving mail vbags hanging along the trackas well as means for supporting mail bags from the car, in such aposition that they may be caught by corresponding receiving mechanismplaced by the side of the track. Since the mail car, particularly onsingle track roads, travels in opposite directions past the point wherethe mail is to be received and delivered, it is advantageous to have thereceiving and delivering mechanism reversible, so that it will operatewhen the car is moving in either direction.

In Fig. 1, 1 represents the side of a car which may be an ordinary mailcar, and my receiving and delivering mechanisms are mounted to projectthrough the side opening or door in the car. Posts 2 and 3 are at thesides or edges of the opening and these postsmay be the door posts ofthe car or separate; posts of a frame set in the door on the oar. In theupper part of the opening I place a reversible mail chute which I preferto make in the form shown, embodying an outer Sheet metal plate 4 whichlit-s in and closes the upper part of the opening. This plate has astrengthening frame of metal rods 5, 6, 7, S, 9, 10, secured along itssides and extending horizontally within the car. The rods 6 and 9 whichextend horizontally from the plate some distance from its ends areconnectedA at their inner ends by a rod 11 parallel to the plate. Theframework along each edgeof the plate is the same on both sides and thetwo rods 6 are connected at their inner ends by the vertical rod 12, andthe two rods 9 are connected by the vertical rod 13, vthese rods 12 yand13 serving as handles which may be grasped by the operator within thecar for the purpose of turning the device, as hereinafter described. Abar 14 extends horizontally across the opening at the bottom of theplate 4 and serves as a support for that plate as well as for the framemade up of the rods above described. The rods 7 and 10 are connected tothe vertical end rods 74, 15 'around which the'ends of the plate 4 arebent, and the ends of these rods 74 and 15 extend slightly beyond theedges of the plate so as to run in grooves 16 in the bar 14 and ingrooves 17 in the top of the opening, these grooves serving to assist inholding the chute as a whole in position. The side posts 2 and 3 areprovided with pins or stops 18, 19 projecting from their inner faces andbeing in such position that the ends of the plate 4 will make contact.with them when the plate occupies a position in the opening, as shown inFig. 2. Spring stops 20 having rounded outer ends projecting slightlybeyond the surface are placed on the side posts as well as on the bar 14in such position that they will be outside of the plate 4 when the plateis pulled back against the stops 19, and consequently these yieldingspring stops will hold the device yieldingly in place.

The frame, composed of the plate 4 and the strengthening rods abovedescribed,

1 constitutes the chute for receiving the mail bags which are supportedalong the sides of the track, the width of the plate being such as toform a chute wide enough to receive the mail bag particularly when it issupported longitudinally. T he distance between the rod74 and the rod 13is substantially the same as the length of the plate 4, and this is truealso of the distance between the rod 15 and the rod 12, so that when theframe is turned to project the plate 4 from the car at an angle, asshown in Fig. 1, the rod 12 will strike against the inner sides of thepins or stops 1S, and will retain the mail receiving chute in theposition shown. The force of the mail bag striking the plate 4 will ofcourse tend to draw the forward end of the device out of the car, butthere is no tendency to draw out the rear end, and therefore the rod 15stays in contact with the stops 10.

In shifting the chute so as to occupy the inclined position shown inFig. 1, or the reverse inclined position, the horizontal rods 5, 6, 7,8, 9 and l0, rest upon the cross bar 14 and slide thereon while theoperator moves the device by grasping the upright rods 12 and 13 whichserve as handles. I have found by actual use of the device that it isnot necessary to have a closed bottom for the chute and that theinclined vertical plate 4 is suflicient, since the bag in entering thecar will by its motion pass along over the strengthening bars beforefalling, and therefore for the sake of lightness I prefer not to use aclosed chute, and make use of the light framework. I have also foundthat a sheet steel plate 4 will for ordinary purposes be suiiicientlystrong to receive the mail bags even when the train is going at a highrate of speed, but in order to prevent any lbending a strengtheningangle bar 21 may be placed along the middle of this plate on the outsideas shown in Fig. 2. Since t-he mail bag travels along the plate 4 atconsiderable speed I find it advisable to use a buffer at the inner endof the chute formed by this plate so as to stop the mail bag properlywithin the car. This buffer is composed of al plate 22 hinged at itsouter edge 23 to the frame 24and supported at an angle from that frameby springs 25. This plate 22 may be co-vered with a soft pad 25 and itis held in position by a chain or other means 27 connecting it to theframe 24. This yielding buffer is therefore practically in line with thechute and the mail bag strikes it when it enters the car, the springsyielding sufficiently to break the force of the blow, and tending tothrow the bag forward along the car, but since the car itself is movingforward the result is that the bag simply drops to the door beneath theedge of the butler. It will be observed that there are two of thesebuffers, one at each end of the chute, so as to be in operativeposition,

`whether the chute is arranged as shown in Fig. 1 or is reversed.

In order to deliver the mail bags from the car I may make use of pivotedarms composed of the upper and lower members 28, 29, which are hinged at30, 31, along the inner side of t-he posts 2 and 3, these armspreferably being made of fiat bars of metal. The upper and lower membersaire in the form shown 1n Figs. 1 and 2 separated at the pivoted end andcome together at the free end so as to hold between them the cross arm32 which is adapted to support the mail bag, a pivoted pin 33 'passingthro-ugh those members and the cross' arm This cross arm is of theconstruction more clearly shown in Fig. 6 and hereafter described, andit will be'understood that it can be turned on its pivot so as toreverse its position, it being held in either position by a locking pin34 passing through it and the ends of the members. These arms are heldin their inner position within the car by an automatic latch or catch 35mounted on the post 86, and they are adapted to be swung through thedoor opening below the cross Abar 14 so as to occupy a position outsideof the car and at right angles thereto, as shown at the left hand sideof Fig. 1. In passing to the outer position the upper and lower membersenter slots 37, 38, in the side posts so as to be out ofthe way, and topermit the door 89 to be closed. The arms are held in their outerposition by the automatic catches 40 on the outer side of the post, andit will be observed that in the form sho-wn, the door 39 is hinged atthe bottom 41 and is turned up against the inner edge of the cross bar14. ll/Then this door is closed and the plate 4 is pulled into theposition shown in Fig. 2 the entire opening in the side of the car isclosed. It will be understood that the bag is hung from the Across bar32 while the arm is within the car, and that the armthen swings to theoutside or operative posit-ion, and is automatically held there so thatthe bag` will be in the position to be caught by the apparatus hereafterdescribed Vbythe side of it is somewhat different.

the track. As shown in Fig. l, two of these arms may be used and one`ormore mailbags may be supported from each arm.`

Instead of using the form of delivering arms 32 which are shown in Fig.l and which must be bodily turned in order to deliver mail in thereverse direction, I preferablyuse the form of arm sho-wn in Figs. 9 and10, which permits the reverse delivery without turning. As shown, thispreferred form embodies the swinging arm made up of the sections 76, 77,which are pivotally secured to the door facing having holes in theirends fitting over the vertical pins 78, 79, carried by brackets securedto the door facing, and thus the arm may be lifted off and removed whendesired. At the free end f the arm a cross arm 8() is rigidly secured,and this cross arm has in its end portion the open-ended slots 81, 82.Pivotally secured to the cross arm by the side of the slot at thecentral portion are the pins 88, 84, which are adapted to hold the links85, 86 which carry the mail bag, and it will be observed that any push0r pull on the mail bag longitudinally of the slots 8l, 82 will turn thepins 83, 84 on their pivots until their ends stand over the open slotinclined in the direction in which the bag is moving, so that the ringsmay simply slide off the ends of the pins. This construction providesreversible fastening means, but the reversal is effected automatically,and it is not necessary for the Inail clerk to adjust 'the arm in anyparticular way to deliver' mail in either direction, and all that he hasto do is to hang the bag on the arm, as shown in Fig. 10, and swing thatarm from inside of the car to the outside where it is ready to deliverthe bag. It will be understood that it may be necessary to lift the armsoff of the pins 78, 79, when it is desired to close the door, such as isillustrated in Fig. 2.

v The modified construction of bag receiving device shown in Figs. 8 and9 is designed particularly for use on those cars where the door openingsare narrow, and it is adapted to lit within a door between two and threefeet wide. In this form I make use of the steel plate 87 which issimilar to that described in connection with Fig. l, ,but in thisinstance the plate is shorter and the framework for supporting Theframework consists of top and bottom end bars 88, 89, which are securedto the plate in the same manner as indicated in Fig. l, but at theirinner ends these bars come together and have openings at the po-int 90through which the cent-ral rod or bar 91 passes. and bottom hars 91 areoined by the vertical operating bar or rod 92. The ends 93, 94 ofthe-plate are a distance apart equal to the distance from them to therod. 92. Thus 'in plan view the receiving device forms The top anequilateral triangle, and when either end of the plate is turnedoutward, as indicated in Fig. 8, the rod 92 will come against the innerfaces of the stops on the door facing on one side or the other, inaccordance with the way in which the plate is turned.

The apparatus for receiving the mail bags from the train consists of abox 42 placed along the side of the track and having inclined chutes43,44 entering it from opposite sides. The open ends of these chutes areat such a height as to just receive the mail bags V,carried by theswinging arms 32 carried by the car, and as described in my priorpatent, inclined spring pressed plates 45 may be placed within thesechutes in order to break the force of the mail bag" as it passes downthem. Since the two chutes enter the box on opposite sides it is foundadvisable to place across that box a screen 46 against which the mailbag will strike in passing down either chute, and I have found that thisscreen will operate satisfactorily if it is simply placed loosely withinthe box, and that it is not necessary to have any fixed support for it.Secured to the sides of the box 42 are the upright posts 47, 48 forcarrying the mail bags which are to be delivered to the car. At theupper ends of these posts I place the arms 49 pivotally hinged at 50 tothe posts and having their ends 51 heavier than the forward ends so thatthese arms will automatically t-urn on their pivots and occupy anupright position when no weight is applied -to the forward end. To theforward end I pivot the cross arms 52 for the purpose of carrying themail bag, and these cross arms may be reversed on their pivots andsecured in adjusted position by the locking pin 53 which passes throughthe two arms. The arm 52 is preferably made of a flat bar of metalhaving one end 54 reduced in size and rounded in cross sect-ion andturned up slightly to receive the strap or ring secured to the mail bag,as shown in Fig. 3. The other end of the cross arm has a reverse bend55, making a rounded hook to receive the other strap secured to the mailbag, and it will be observed that by this construction both ends face inthe same direction, so that the straps carrying the mail bag may slideoff of both supports moving in the same direction. I .may use two of thearms 49, as shown in Fig. 3, and may support one or more mail bags fromeach arm. Below the arms 49 I preferably place a platform 5G supportedby the posts 47, 4S and 57 and secured to the cross brace rod 59 whichis attached at its outer ends to the upper ends of the chutes 43 and 44for the purpose of strengthening them.

Since it is contrary to the rules of railroads to permit anything tostand permanently` within a certain distance of the track, I have foundit advisable to make my y receiving and delivering device along the sideof the track movable, so that it may be pushed up to or away from thetrack at pleasure, and I have also provided means,y

shape of small wheels carried by the shafts 62, and I make use of theguard rails 63 which extend up over the top of the rollers so as to makesure that they remain on the track. The tracks 61 run at right angles tothe line of railroad rails 64 and lead up to those rails so that thedevice may be moved to a position close along the side of the railroadtrain. The box 42 -is provided with a staple or other fastening means65, 66 on its front and rear faces for the purpose of securing the boXin posit-ion. At one end of the track there is a metal piece 67 havingan eye through which the staple passes so that' a lock 68 may be securedlto it for the purpose of holding the parts in position.` A similarmetal piece 69 is secured at the opposite end of the track to coperatewith the staple 66 to hold the device in its position away from therailroad track. In order to steady andsupport the-outer ends of theinclined chutes .L3-and 44 I make use of the braces 70, 7l, which extendfrom the chutes to a po-intnear the side support, but not quite incontact therewith. These braces are made in the form of boards havingconsiderablewidth, the lower edges 72 being cut at an angle, as shown inFig. 7, and when the device is pushed up to the railroad track, as shownin Fig. 4, this inclined end 7 2 comes into close engagement with the'inclined portion 73 o'f the support by `a wedging action so that whenthe device is in operative position theends of the chutes will bepositively supported by the lbraces and 7l. As described in my priorpatent above noted, the chutes 43 and 44 are provided with slots 7 4l intheir bottoms near the lower edge so as to permit any water which entersthe chutes to escape without passing into the mail receiving boX. TheboXitself may be provided with a lock 7 5,-and it will be understood thatthe arms 49'are prevented from twisting when the bag is `pushed fromthem by entering slots in the cross bar 76a.

It will be observed from the abo-ve description that my device along theside `of the track to receive and deliver mail bags may be moved up intooperative position and secured there, and that it will then operateautomatically when the train passes, the bags from the train hitting theinclined surfaces of the chutes 'and passing down into the locked box,where they are 'protected from the weather. The construction is suchthat all of the bags from both of the arms shown in Fig. l will bereceived by and taken into the chute. In fact I have received as many asfour bags at one time, two bags being supported on each arm. Thereceiving and delivering device on the car is also automatic in itsoperation, and it is simply necessary for the mail clerk before hereaches the point where mail is to be received or delivered, to set thedevice by pushing one end or the other end of the frame carrying theplate 4 and by hanging the mail bags to be delivered on the arm 32 bythe side of the car. I-Ie does not have to stand by and watch thedevice, but may proceed with his other work, since the mail bag will beautomatically deposited on the floor of the car and can be picked up byhim at any time. This device within the car may of course be built as apart of the car itself, and when this is done I prefer to place themechanism at the end of the car with the side opening at that' point,leaving a small room at the end of the car for receiving and deliveringmail, and having the balance of the car free for the use of the mailclerks. It will :be understood that the mechanism shown in Fig. 1 on oneside of the car may be duplicated for the other side if necessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. The combination with a railroad track, of a mail bag receiving deviceincluding an inclined chute arranged along said track, means permittingthel free movement of said device toward and from said track, postscarried by said device, hinged arms carried by said posts at the top,and reversible means at the forward ends of said arms for supportingmail bags, the said arms being overbalanced at the rear end whereby theywill assume an upright position when not supporting mail bags.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with `a hingedarm,of a cross arm secured thereto at the free end, and means on :saidcross -arm for supporting a mail bag, the said means-being soconstructed as to release the :bag when moved in either direction. l

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a hinged armsecured thereto at the free end, and means at the side opening therein,of a frame movably mounted therein and having a deliecting plate at itsouter edge, and means permitting the said frame to be turned so as toproject either end of said plate from the 'car to form a mail receivingchute.

`mounted therein, means permitting the turning of said frame so as toproject either end of said chute from the car at an angle, and means forholding said frame in adjusted posit-ion.

S. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of a frameconstituting an open ended mail receiving chute mounted therein, meanspermitting the turning of said frame so as to project either end of saidchute from the car at an angle, means for holding said frame in adjustedposition, and buffers within said car in line with said chute.

9. The combination with a car having a side ope-ning therein, of a frameconstituting an open ended mail receiving chute mounted therein, meanspermitting the turning of said frame so as to project either end of saidchute from the car at an angle, means for holding said frame in adjustedposition, and cushioned spring supported buffers within said car in linewith said chute. Y

10. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of areversible mail receiving chute mounted in and adapted to close theupper part of said opening, swinging mail delivering arms adapted toproject through said opening below said chute, and a door for closingsaid opening below said chute.

11. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of areversible mail receiving chute mounted in and adapted to close theupper part of said opening, swing mail delivering arms pivotallysupported at one end at the sides of said opening below said chute, andadapted to swing through said opening so as to project from said car,and reversible means on the free ends of said arms for releasablyholding mail bags.

12. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of areversible mail receiving chute mounted in and adapted to close theupper part of said opening, swinging mail delivering arms pivot-allysupported at one end at the sides of said opening below said chute andadapted to swing through said opening so as to project from said car,reversible means on the free ends of said arms for releasably holdingmail bags, and automatic releasable catches adapted to hold said arms intheir outer position.

13. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of armspivotally supported at one end within said car by the side of saidopening and adapted to swing therethrough, the side post of said openingbeing provided with notches to receive said arms and to serve as stopswhen said arms reach a position at right angles to the car, andautomatic catches on said posts for retaining said arms in their outerposition.

14. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of amovable plate tit ting in said opening, stops on the walls of saidopening against which said plate tits, brace rods secured to said platealong its top and bottom edges extending within said car, and verticalrods connecting the brace rods at their inner ends, the vertical rod atone end of the device being a distance from the opposite end of theplate substantially equal to the length ot' said plate whereby said rodwill strike the inner side of said stops when one end of said plate isprojected from the car.

15. The combination with a car having a `side opening therein, of amovable Plate iit ting in said opening, stops on t-he walls of saidopening against which said plate ts, and a trame work of rods secured tosaid plate along its top and bottom edges and eX- tending inwardlytherefrom the ends of said frame being inclined toward the center tosuch an extent that when one end of the plate is projected from the carthe inner edge of the frame will make contact with the inner side ofsaid stops.

16. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of amovable plate tting in said opening, stops on the walls of said openingagainst which said plate tits, a :trame connected to said plate alongits top and bottom edges and extending inwardly therefrom, a supportalong the bottom of said opening on which said frame rests whereby saidframe may be turned with either end oi said plate projecting from thecar at an angle, and means for limiting the turning of said frame.

17. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of amovable plate litting in said' opening, stops on the walls of saidopening against which said plate tits, yielding spring pressed stops insaid walls between which and said iirst mentioned stops said plate isreleasably held, and a frame connected to said plateialong its top andbottom edges and extending inwardly therefrom constituting means forturning said plate to project either end from the car at an angle.

18. In a device of the class described, t-he combination with an armhaving open-ended longitudinal slots at its ends, of pivoted cross pinsextending across said slots to serve as supports and adapted to beturned to released position in either direction.

19. In a device of the class described, the combination with a bagsupport having a slot therein, of a cross supporting pin pivoted atoneend extending across said slot and adapted to be turned to releasedposition in either direction.

20. The combination with a car having a side opening therein, of amovable plate litting in said opening, stops on the Walls of saidopening against which said plate iits, and a traine secured to saidplate'along its top and bottom edges and extending in- Wardly therefrom,the ends ot' said frame being inclined toward the center so as to permitturning to project either end of said plate from the car.

21. rIhe combination With a car having a side opening therein, of amovable plate fitting in said opening, stops on the Walls of saidopening against Which said plate fits, and a frame secured to said platealong its top and bottom edges and extending inwardly therefrom, theends of said frame being inclined toward the center so as to permitturning to project either end of said plate from the car, and a supporton Which said frame rests.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

DANIEL W. MILLSAPS.

Witnesses:

C. l?. EVANS, I-I. C. GRAHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

